Sponge cleaning device



Oct. 10, 1967 l G. L. STARRY 3,345,669

SPONGE CLEANING DEVICE Filed Oct. 16, 1964 GLENN L. STARRY INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,345,669 SPONGE CLEANING DEVIEE Glenn L. Starry,132 E. Flagler St., Miami, Fla. 33131 Filed Oct. 16, 1964, Ser. No.404,257 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-244) This invention relates to a cleaningdevice for scrubbing and rubbing of the type useful for cleaning andmassaging those portions of the dermis which are not readily accessible.I

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an improvedpersonal cleaning and rubbing device for use by persons to reach forcleaning or massaging areas of the human body, such as the back, and tostimulate circulation in areas of the dermis that are not easilyaccessible.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cleaning and rubbingdevice which is adapted to be used for massaging or cleaning areas ofthe human body which device is constructed from lengths of extrudedplastic material and a piece of synthetic sponge material.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cleaning and rubbingdevice which includes an elongate extruded handle of resilient plasticmaterial and an extruded plastic plate carrying a synthetic spongeelement mounted thereover, the said extruded plastic plate beingconnected to one end of the handle and having a corrugated exteriorsurface facing the sponge to permit drainage of water squeezed from thesponge and circulation of air for relatively rapid drying of the spongeand to increase the scrubbing and massaging action of the device.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cleaning and rubbingdevice of the type set forth more fully hereafter which is relativelysimple to manufacture and inexpensive in cost and which is otherwisewell adapted for use in scrubbing and in massaging areas of the humanbody, such as the back, which are not easily accessible.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a corrugated plate formounting a sponge thereover to increase the scrubbing action of thesponge.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the said invention will now be described with reference tothe accompanying drawmgs:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of the said invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan view of the instant invention;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional View taken along the lines of 3-3 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the plate of the instant invention;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation view of a modification of the instantinvention;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the modification of FIG- URE 5 and FIGURE 7is a cross sectional view taken along the line of 77 of FIGURE 5 andlooking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts through the differentviews, and referring particularly to FIGURES 1 through 4, there is showna cleaning and rubbing device generally designated by the numeral 10,including (a) an extruded elongate handle 11 of plastic material with amain flexible stem 12 and an integral side element 13 formed by a bend14 in the handle adjacent the upper end thereof, and (b) corrugatedmounting plate 15 fastened centrally to the distal end of the handleelement carrying a synthetic sponge 17 fastened thereto as by anadhesive indicated by the numeral 18. As is best seen in FIGURE 3, thehandle includes a plurality of longitudinally extending flutes 19providing a hand-grip along the length thereof and tending to weakon themain stem for increased resiliency and flexibility in response to forcesapplied on the main exterior surface of the sponge 17. As can be seen inFIGURE 2, the plate 15 is of generally similar shape in plan to the mainsurface of the synthetic sponge, but it is foreshortened with respect toit so that, when the sponge and plate are fastened together inoverlaying relation by an adhesive 21, a marginal portion 20 extendsoutwardly around the periphery of the plate. The plate, which is alsocut from a length of extruded plastic, has a first and a second mainsurface, 22 and 23 respectively, the first surface facing the handle andbeing connected to the distal end of the element centrally by a suitableresin base adhesive 18 commonly known as a plastic adhesive, and thesecond outer surface 23 being corrugated to define crests 24 and troughs26 which extend laterally over the surface of the plate when it ismounted to the distal end of the element. In the preferred embodiment,the crests are flattened and the sponge 17 is fastened to the fiatcrests of the plate only by adhesive means and is enlarged with respectto the plate so that the aforesaid marginal portion of the spongeextends outwardly around the periphery of the plate.

Thus, it is seen that the device is: particularly useful as a backscrubber. The length of the stem of the handle is approximately 18inches and that of the element approximately 2 inches; the preferredsize of the plate is approximately 4 /2 inches by 2 /2 inches, which hasbeen found to provide a preferred scrubbing area. One using the devicesimply wets the sponge with water and applies soap to it so that,thereafter, he may readily scrub those areas of the dermis not readilyaccessible otherwise.

The synthetic sponge is of the type which is relatively pliable andflexible when damp and which is relatively hard and rigid when dry, afeature which adapts it for dual purposes, washing the back when it iswet and massaging or scratching the back when it is dry. Thus, when theuser as bathing, the device is ideal for generally scrubbing his body.Because of the corrugated plate surface, accumulated soap can be readilyremoved from the sponge by successively wetting it and squeezing it byapplying pressure to the main outer surface of the sponge which squeezesthe soapy water from it and the troughs of the plate permit easydrainage of the soapy Water, as well as facilitating rapid drying of it.As is clear from the drawings, the plate and sponge are in planes whichare parallel to that of the normal center line of the stem of the handleand the included angle between the element and the stern of the handleis preferably between and The angular relation of the parts and thedimensions of the device readily adapt it for hanging over a showercurtain rod when it is not in use or a towel bar. As mentioned above,because the sponge is of a material which becomes relatively hard "andrigid when dry, the device is also useful as a back scratcher ormassager and the rapid drying of the sponge resulting from the aforesaidcrests and troughs in the exterior surface of the plate reduce the timeperiod between alternative uses. The resilient yieldability of thehandle when forces are applied perpendicular to the main plane of thesponge as the device is pulled upwardly over the body in a scrubbingaction, allows the sponge to travel more smoothly over the surface ofthe skin, and the sponge, as it is depressed by main surface pressureswhen wet into the troughs assumes a somewhat rippled configuration ingeneral conformance with that of the plate and provides a gentle andpleasing massaging action as well as increased scrubbing action.

The extending marginal edge 20 of the sponge with respect to theperipheral edge of the plate causes the sponge to be more yieldable atits edges and protects the user from undesired scratches by the cornersand corner edges of the plate.

In FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, an alternative embodiment is shown, with ashortened handle and with a circular plate. For simplicity, all of theelements and portions of the device have been designated by numeralswith prime signs to correspond to those used in FIGURES 1 through 4; thedrawings are self-explanatory in view of the foregoing specification andall of the elements and portions are in accordance therewith except aspointed out. The device of FIGURES 5-7 is particularly useful tohousewives when washing dishes. Oftentimes housewives prefer to get aslittle water on their hands as possible when washing dishes and thisinvention permits a minimum contact With water by the hands of a personwashing dishes. The circular shape of the plate permits the syntheticsponge to be receivable in cups and the like and is especially usefulfor cleaning such household items as skillets and pots and pans.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatis conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning and rubbing device comprising: an elongate handle ofresilient plastic material and having longi tudinal flutes along theouter periphery thereof for gripping it, said handle including anelongate main stem and an integral side element adjacent one end with abend intermediate the stem and element of an included angle in the orderof 110; a plastic plate having a first flat surface and a secondsurface, the first surface being rigidly connected at its geometricalcenter to the distal end of the element with the main plane of the platein parallel alignment with the stem, said second surface having aplurality of laterally extending crests and troughs, all of said crestsbeing flat and in a plane parallel to the said first surface; and asynthetic sponge pad adhesively connected over said plate to only thecrests of the second surface with a narrow marginal edge extendingoutwardly of the plate around the periphery, said sponge being of thetype which is soft and pliable when damp and relatively rigid when dry.

2. A cleaning and rubbing device comprising: an elongate handle havinglongitudinal flutes along the outer periphery thereof for gripping it,said handle including an elongate stem and an integral side elementadjacent one end with a bend in the handle intermediate the stem and theelement of an included angle in the order of 110; a plastic plate ofrectangular form having a first flat surface and a second surface, thefirst surface being rigidly connected at its geometrical center to thedistal end of the element with the main plane of the plate beingparallel to the stem, the second surface having a plurality of laterallyextending crests and troughs, all of said crests being flat and in aplane parallel to the said first surface; and an enlarged syntheticsponge pad adhesively connected over said plate to the crests with thetroughs being normally free and clear of obstruction by said sponge .topermit fluid to fiow therein, and with a narrow marginal edge extendingoutwardly of the plate around the periphery, said sponge being of thetype which is soft and pliable when damp and relatively rigid when dry.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 263,387 8/1882 Cheney 15221983,696 2/1911 'Enyeart 1S--221 2,221,128 11/1940 Bates 15244.42,667,653 2/1954 Le Febvre 15--1'19.1 2,694,210 1 1/1954 Bitzer et a115119 2,736,913 3/1956 Mirth 15244 X 2,740,150 4/1956 Wilding 152312,825,084 3/1958 Sanborn 15-143 X 2,834,036 5/1958 Shannon 15-1 193,067,450 12/1962 Mirth 15244 X 3,085,276 4/1963 Swanson 15-2443,124,822 3/1964 Marchese 15--244 X 3,147,502 9/1964 Richards 1'5119 XFOREIGN PATENTS 487,541 10/ 1952 Canada.

464,953 4/ 1914 *France.

147,527 7/ 1920 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.

1. A CLEANING AND RUBBING DEVICE COMPRISING: AN ELONGATE HANDLE OFRESILIENT PLASTIC MATERIAL AND HAVING LONGITUDINAL FLUTES ALONG THEOUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR GRIPPING IT, SAID HANDLE INCLUDING ANELONGATE MAIN STEM AND AN INTEGRAL SIDE ELEMENT ADJACENT ONE END WITH ABEND INTERMEDIATE THE STEM AND ELEMENT OF AN INCLUDED ANGLE IN THE ORDEROF 100*; A PLASTIC PLATE HAVING A FIRST FLAT SURFACE AND A SECONDSURFACE, THE FIRST SURFACE BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED AT ITS GEOMETRICALCENTER TO THE DISTAL END OF THE ELEMENT WITH THE MAIN PLANE OF THE PLATEIN PARALLEL ALIGNMENT WITH THE STEM, SAID SECOND SURFACE HAVING APLURALITY OF LATERALLY EXTENDING CRESTS AND TROUGHS, ALL OF SAID CRESTSBEING FLAT AND IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE SAID FIRST SURFACE; AND ASYNTHETIC SPONGE PAD ADHESIVELY CONNECTED OVER SAID PLATE TO ONLY THECRESTS OF THE SECOND SURFACE WITH A NORROW MARGINAL EDGE EXTENDINGOUTWARDLY OF THE PLATE AROUND THE PERIPHERY, SAID SPONGE BEING OF THETYPE WHICH IS SOFT AND PLIABLE WHEN DAMP AND RELATIVELY RIGID WHEN DRY.